rural health

The federal government awarded millions of dollars to states to develop programs to train more healthcare providers in rural areas.

That’s especially true in the Mountain West. In most states, if one delivery unit shuts down, the next closest one is more than an hour away.

About half of Wyoming counties don’t have an OB-GYN. At least nine don’t have labor and delivery units.

The new program will help pay for tuition at a University of California program. The goal is to offer more breastfeeding support in rural areas.

Arizona, Colorado and Utah got C grades in a new maternal mental health report card. Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada and Wyoming got Ds.

The federal Rural Health Transformation Program funds come after months of negotiations, which led Wyoming to drop a planned investment fund. Instead, the state will focus on basic care.

Dozens of independent, rural hospitals in Montana, Nevada and Wyoming are eligible for the program, where they could have access to a consistent supply of drugs at wholesale prices.

The state is no longer pursuing a “perpetuity fund” that could have made investments from the Rural Health Transformation Program more sustainable.

The findings are part of a nationwide report published by AARP.

The hospital is exploring a transition to critical access status, which would change the way it’s reimbursed for care.